seedsvr - the Pondmaster 190gph pump/filter/filters pads and sponges, and bell fountain kit cost about $50 to $60 (today). Don't remember what it cost in 2002/2003 when I bought that one. All plants are in small pots except the floaters. No soil, only aquarium gravel. I am in MD and I throw my WH on the compost pile at the end of the season where it continues to bloom and then dies either from drying out or if cold weather comes. I haven't had any WH for 3 or so years now. I'd actually like to get some more but I refuse to pay the high prices people ask for that weed. I have two other ponds now and the Pop-up sits in my garage as I don't feel like fooling with it (or my ponds for that matter:-) It was fun and I enjoyed it while I had it up and running for two seasons. I'd get a big tub if I had it to do over again (like suggested by another poster). I've never seen a clear pop-up before. When they first came out they were copper or dark like mine. Clear I would think would encourage algae with the light which means you probably won't see the plant roots or fish for long unfortunately.

Thanks for the responses. We've found something for about $400, so I think we will go with that. DH will be able to make it fit since it is only like a 1/4" off in one dimension so he'll figure out a way to cheat it. lascatx - I know that 2'x4' is not ideal, but it is what it is. Without a major kitchen reno, we could only gain a few inches, at most. However, I do have lots of counterspace so I've never really had an issue with cooking and I do plenty of serious cooking - spaghetti sauce from scratch, crepes, Coq au Vin, cheescake, etc. Its really taught me to be disciplined as I prep. I also have a huge pantry, so that helps by having ingredients easily available for prep. If I were to walk into this house, today, to buy it, I would certainly stand in the kitchen and go through the motions of cooking to see how it "fit". But, I've watched enough of the "fix up the property to sell it" shows on HGTV to realize that the average buyer is not likely to do that. They're going to walk into a bright & airy Weekly house (you're from Houston, right?) that has an open floor plan with 10' ceilings in the kitchen/breakfast area/family room and see granite, tumbled marble backsplash, fresh paint, etc. and may not recognize that this is a "one butt kitchen" meant for an organized cook. Gosh, I hate the way that sounds, but I'm trying to be realistic. All of the other comparable houses for sale in the neighborhood still have fluorescent lighting rather than pendants. Most have formica, few have cabinet hardware (this holds true for all of the new construction in this range in CCISD) and some even still have wallpaper borders. I'm hoping the "bling" along with the other good features will give us an edge.

Hi there. We designed our kitchen after a kitchen Candice Olson designed from her show Devine Design.http://www.hgtv.com/kitchens/candice-olsons-kitchen-design-ideas/pictures/page-7.html If you notice she put in a cooktop which has a pop up draft. We put in a downdraft and am already regreting it. I was boiling water the other day in a large pot and the steam went straight to the celing. My husband said if we changed it to a pop up we would have to completely change the cut out to the countertops and other things and said that it just won't work. As you can see from this pic our kitchen just wouldn't look good with a vent. I guess I am answering my own question here and that is that nothing much can be done. But perhaps someone has a suggestion that I haven't concidered. Thank you for all of your help!

I wrote a fed up letter to GW and that banner below disappeared. That means others did it, too. Write to Tamara. The more the better. I pissed & moaned about 3 sides of the screen being blocked by ads, and that newest, bottom ad even covered up where I was trying to type. There is no shame in the $$ they'll take from advertisers. I did mention that I would never, ever by from the advertisers that were blocking my screen. Again, I wish I were powerful enough to think my letter made a difference, but volume is volume.